Originally Posted by TeamSelig
He is only 31 but he started right out of high school so he's been playing 80+ games a year for 13 years. As a Celtics fan, I'm cautiously optimistic about this trade. However, I see a parallel between this trade and the Junior trade with the Reds. Superstar on the wrong side of 30 who has been playing in the pros since he got out of HS with little to no injury history goes to a team trying to recapture their past glory. Mike Cameron = Al Jefferson.
Really this trade is Garnett for Jefferson and the potential of Gerald Green. Ratliff is an expiring contract, Gomes is gone after the year (and both are role players anyway), Bassy Telfair is a great future NBA Europe player and the two first round picks - well, one is Minnesota's being sent back to them and the Celtics pick is lottery protected (hear that Isiah - you can do that nowadays!!).
Since I don't think Green will ever be more than Gerald Wallace I think the Celtics made out great. In the weak East, they just made themselves one of the favorites. Garnett, Pierce and Allen come playoff time - look out.
"I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all out of bubble gum."
- - Rowdy Roddy Piper
"It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong. I am not a big man"
- - Fletch
I'll see your pessimism and raise you with a dose of optimism: Superstar on the wrong side of 30 who was dubbed 'an old 30' by his former team finding a new sense of purpose and demolishing his new league/conference with his new team.
Only time will tell if Garnett = Junior or if Garnett = Robby.
I think it was a good move by the Celtics as well. The NBA is a superstar league and now the C's have one in Garnett.
My worry about the Garnett/Allen/Pierce troika is that the C's roster is pretty thin and Doc Rivers will ride them hard Narron-style and have them log a lot of minutes. By playoff time, they could be pretty worn out.
She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning
My only concern on that count is for Garnett. One of his greatest strengths is his intensity, and one of his greatest weaknesses is that he does not have the 'on/off' switch that most NBA veterans have developed.
Pierce & Allen will protect themselves by shifting into neutral for long stretches during the regular season, but Garnett is the only guy in the league who plays hard every minute he is on the court.
He doesn't have an on/off switch mostly because he's always had to be on for them to win. Even when he had Spree and Cassell, (neither of whom are as good as Allen or Pierce offensively), he had to shoulder most all of the offensive and rebounding load. On offense, you could argue that Garnett would be the third option at times, which was NEVER the case in Minny.
BTW, It's funny that people are arguing for Garnett to get lazy. What a strange argument.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
Nah.
Plenty of star players in the same situation still understand the need for preserving their health. From November to March they'll coast for the first three quarters of games and then flip the switch and try to pull out the 'W' in the fourth quarter. Garnett is just as likely to dive headfirst into the scorers table chasing after a loose ball in December as he is in June. You can count on one hand the number of NBA superstars who play with that kind of intensity all year long.
I'm not arguing that Garnett should get lazy, I'm arguing that (1) he needs to learn how to save his body and (2) he needs a coach who will protect him from himself by limiting his minutes during the regular season.
Then fire Doc Rivers right now.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
Ok, the more I think about the trade and the tandem of Pierce-Allen-KG the more I like it. The only thing that concerns me is center with Kendrick Perkins, but there is still time to sign somebody.
I have a feeling that OJ Mayo will be packing warm in next years draft.
In the East, they will be fine. Who do you guard? Do you team up on KG, and let Ray Allen rain from the outside? Do you stop Pierce's drives? I would hate game planning against this team.
As far as the other players, I've heard that they're targeting Brevin Knight to work w/ Rondo at the point and PJ Brown to guard low post scorers (see Shaq).
BTW, has anyone else heard the rumors that David Stern orchestrated the trade to deflect attention from the Donaghy scandal. (Completely ridiculous, but I love NBA conspiracy theories...)
Variatio delectat - Cicero
I think their only problem is leadership.
KG has proved he cannot carry & lead a team to the playoffs (or very deep), and so has Pierce. Allen really hasn't done much lately.
All together though I think they will be fine.
I'd really like to see them pick up Chris Webber though.
What I like about the team are the following things:
1) They are all workers
2) They all desperately want to win
3) They are all SMART basketball players and great people
4) Their skills compliment one another
This could be the most likable team of "superstars" in any league in a long time. Who dislikes any of these guys? The NBA needs them to be a feel good story to take the heat off the scandal.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
I couldn't agree more.
You've got a post player (Garnett) who is an elite rebounder, an above-average defender, is very good with his back to the basket in the post and is also effective facing the basket out to 18 feet. You've got a perimeter player (Pierce) with elite ability driving the ball to the hole and he is also well above average from outside the three point line. And finally, you've got another perimeter guy (Allen) who is an elite long-distance marksman with above average skills at taking the ball to the hoop.
The interesting part is how do you fill around them.
Kendrick Perkins is a decent player on the defensive end but he is completely useless on the offensive end. They could really use a center who is capable of drawing defenders out of the post. John Hollinger of ESPN had an interesting suggestion to fill this need ... bring Wang ZhiZhi back to the NBA for the minimum salary. ZhiZhi is the polar opposite of Perkins, he is completely useless on defense but has a deadly outside shot that would force his man to follow him out of the post. Wang would be a great situational substitution for Perkins in games where the Celtics are trailing. 'Veal' Scalabrine is a serviceable PF off the bench.
Tony Allen is a quality perimeter defender who can sub in for either Allen or Pierce and provide a defensive boost off the bench. The Celtics will still need to add a couple more wing players to really feel good about their depth here though.
The biggest question mark is PG Rajon Rondo. The kid can't shoot a lick, but he has the potential to be a decent floor-general and distributor. With guys like Pierce and Allen already manning the wing spots, the Celtics don't need a lot of offense out of the PG position. The problem is ... what happens if Rondo flops? The Celts are in dire need of a proven veteran at this position. They probably don't have enough cash left over to sign a guy like Brevin Knight, so they are going to be reduced going dumpster diving. Their ability to find a serviceable veteran in that dumpster could be the key to their season.
Last edited by Steve4192; 08-02-2007 at 12:31 PM.
All he has to do is bring the all up the court and hand it off on offense, and then guard his opponent (which he can most definitely do).
Variatio delectat - Cicero
Rondo will thrive in this offense (who wouldn't??) But his game is particularly well-suited to be around these types of guys. Very unselfish, lightning fast, and a good--potentially great--and very savvy distributor of the ball.
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